Inking device for obtaining uniform printing on lamp bulbs



l 192 Oct 1 7 M. N. FREDENBURGH INKING DEVICE FOR OBTAINING UNIFORM PRINTING 0N LAMP BULBS Filed March 1'? 1926 INVENTOR MAW/(N. FREDE/VBU/FGA' ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 11, 1927.

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IMABK N. FREDENBURGH, OF EAST ORANGE, KEV] JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO WESTING- HOUSE LAIVIP COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF FENNSYLVANIA.

INKING DEVICE FOR- OBTAINHWG UNIFQB-IVI PRINTING ON LAMP BULBS.

Application filed March The present invention relates to lamp making machinery and more particularly to a device for printing upon the surface of a lamp bulb.

In the manufacture of an incandescent lamp there occurs a step wherein it becomes necessary to apply a legend, trade mark 01' inscription upon the surface of a bulb for providing an identifying mark as well as a means for indicating the rating, such as the voltage or wattage of the lamp. Markings of this character are usually applied by the deposition of an ink through the'medium of a flexible stamping member. The ink provided is generally a comparatively thick or tacky liquid and must be properly distributed or thinned out for application to a printing member in order that a sharply defined and uniformly outlined impression may be made upon the surface of the bulb.

The marking upon a vitreous surface, particularly a glazed surface, such as a lamp bulb, is more or less difficult operation and requires a mechanism which will operate in a uniform and positive manner. This is particularly true in the marking of bulbs since the surface to which the marking is applied is of spherical shape and the stamp mustbe tightly pressed thereon, the stamp taking the contour of the bulb so that the ink will be properly transferred to the surface. In a mechanism for applying the stamp automatically as is essential in the employment of a marking device in connection with a lamp making machine,,it has been found that the distribution of the ink preparatory to its reception by the stem is an important factor.

The object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide an inking device for the expeditious and effective application of a stamp to a lamp bulb.

Another object of the invention is to provide an inking device in which the ink is so distributed as to effect a uniform depositof ink upon a stamp for printing operation.

Another object of the invention is the provision of means for automatically and uniformly distributing an inking material over a given area for transfer to a printing member. 7

Another object of the invention is to provide a flexible element for automatically car- 17, 1928. Serial no. 95,230.

rying ink from a reservoir for uniform distribution over a predetermined area.

The present invent1on may be practiced by providing a strip of material such as a fabric ribbon of indefinite length. The ribbon may be wound upon a supply spool and led over a guide pulley immersed in an inking substance and thence may travel over a supporting plate and be wound upon a receiving spool. The passage of the ribbon through the ink carries a sufiicient quantity thereof to saturate the ribbon, any excess being pressed out by suitable pressure members prior to the passage of the ribbonover the supporting plate. The ribbon is thus automatically prepared and when dlsposed upon the supporting plate, an inkingmember may be automaticallly moved to pick up a quantity of ink {T0111 the inked ribbon and actuimpression'has been made upon the bulb.

Various other details of construction are embodied in the present invention and will be more fully understood by reference to the accompanying drawings in which,

F 1 is a plan view of a machine embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the machine as shown in Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional detail view showing a clutch mechanism for connecting or disconnecting the inking mechanism with a constant drive.

Although the present invention may be used as an ink feeding device in connection with the printing of various objects orin connection with different types of machines, it is herein shown applied for the printing of a legend upon an incandenscent electric lamp bulb and particularly adapted for use in connection with a lamp making machine. In the manufacture of an incandescent lamp bulb, it is the practice to print upon the outer surface thereof with an ink composed of an etching compound as an acid or present V a suitable composition to provide an adhertrade mark of the manufacturer is upon the top of the bowl portion of the bulb. The printing operation, in many cases, is performed on a sealing-in machine before the mountor the interior structure of the bulb has been sealed therein. The sealing-in operations necessary to. combine the lamp mount and the bulb are usually performed on a machine which includes a conveyor ro tated in a series of intermittent movements so that upon a complete rotation of the conveyor, a lamp will have been sealed to the bulb and in some'machines the exhausting operation is subsequently performed.

' The present inking device may, therefore, be employed in connection'with a lamp male ing machine having a conveyor by arranging the inking device in such cooperative relationto theconveyor that a printing operation may be performed on a bulb during each. stationary stage of the conveyor at which time a bulb may be removed in a predetermined relation to'the printing device.

.A more complete description and disclosure of a printing device of the present type in connection with a lamp making machine may be found in copending application Serial 6663 12 filed October 1, 1923, by J. J. Higgins andR. H. Burns, and assigned to the same assignee as is the present invention.

Asillustrated in the accompanying drawing, a printing device indicated as a whole by the numeral 10 is shown disposed adja cent to a spider or a conveyorll which may be part of a lamp makingmach-ine and may be moved in a series of intermittent movements by mechanism (not shown). The conveyor may carry a pluralityv of lamp bulbs 12 spaced at intervals and may be movedas many times during a complete revolution as there are bulbs carried by the conveyor.

The mechanism for operating the printing device may comprise a vertical hollow standard 13 having a cylindrical bore .14 in whicha plunger 15 maybe reciprocated 'and partially rotated. The upper end 16 of the plunger 15 may be provided with a printing is provided, having an offset portion 25 in which a set screw 26 1s CSIHGCL' The set screw may engage With'the arm 17 tosupport the same and prevent lost motion. The arm 17 carrylng the stamp or printing mem- .ing device.

ber 18 is, according to the present construction, movable both'upwardly and about the vertical aXis of the plunger 15.

In a machine of the type to which the present invention is applied, the printing member receives ink whenin a given posi- .tion'and is then rotated in an arc of substantially 90 and at the same time is lowered to bring the printing surface 27 of the printing member in contact with the spherical surface at the top of a bulb 12, the bulb being supported in the usual form of support or bulbadapter 28. The printing member 18 "is provided with a flexible stamp, preferably of soft rubber, so that the face thereof may be pressed tightly against the spherical surface of a bulb and take the contour thereof during the printing operation, the face of the stamp being substantially level when the ink is applied thereto. The necessary movement is mparted to the printing arm 17 through the action of a cam 29 adapted to engage with the lower end 31 of the plunger 15 so that a movement of the cam will cause a reciprocat on of the plunger to printing arm.

effect a bodily vertical movement of the In order to effect the required rotary sion has just been made, will be first moved in a vertical direction during a portion of its travel and rotatablyduring the remainder of its travel. When the pin 33 is at the upper portion of the slot 32, the printing member 18 will, as shown in Fig. 2, be positioned ready to receive ink from the ink- Tt is thenin position above the elevation .of the top of the bulb 1.2 and ready toflrst receive ink in a manner to be presently described and rotatedover the bulb and then moved downwardly for the i1npression of the stamp upon the bulb which movement, as above set forth, is effective through the formation of the slot32.

' The driving means for transmitting motion to the cam 29. to sense the actuation of the printing 111611'1l3612j119}! include a bevel 34 secured to a shaft upon which the cam, may be mounted, the said shaft iournaled in the standard 13. The bevel. gear maybe disposed in mesh with a bevel 36 at one end of a shaft 37 rotatable in a bearing 38. The opposite end of the shaft 37 may be connected to a shaft 39 by a clutch mechanism 11 hereinafter more fully described. The shaft 39 may beprovided with be! ng rollers abevel gear 42 in mesh with a bevel gear 43 on a shaft 44 through which motion may be translated from any suitable source (not shown).

The ink feeding device may comprise an" extension bracket 45 secured toa reduced portion 46 and the standard 13 by a setscrew 47 The bracket 45 may include laterally disposed side plates 46 and 47 in which shafts 4t and 49 of a supply roller 51 and a receiving roller 52 respectively may be mounted. At the free end of the bracket 45 is disposed a reservoir or container 53 having a quantity of ink 54 therein. A guide nember or roller 55 is mounted in a shaft 56 and positioned so as to be at least partly submerged in the ink. A flexible strip or ribbon 57 is led from the supply roller 51 beneath the guide roller 55 and upwardly over a guide roller 58 and between pressure 59 and 61, thence over another guide roller 62 and a support member or platen 63 over a guide roller 64 and upon the receiving roller 52. The various rollers which guide the ribbon may be mounted on suitable shafts having their bearings in the side plates 46 and 47 of the bracket The ribbon which is lead into and out from the ink becomes saturated therewith and as it passes through the pressure rollers 59 and 61, the excess accumulation of ink is driven out, thus when the ribbon issues from between the pressure members and upon the support-member 63, it is impregnated. with a given quantity of inking material. The pressure roller 59 is mounted in bearing plates 65, slidably disposed in brackets 66, set screws 67 being provided to maintain the roller 59 in proper relation to the roller 61 to provide suitable pressure upon the ribbon passing therebetween. The ribbon which carries ink from the reservoir may be termed an ink feeding member and it will be appre ciated that this member serves to carry a uniform quantity of ink from the reservoir. When the ribbon has been passed through the ink, a suitable portion of inked ribbon becomes disposed upon the support 63, the,

subsequent movements of the ribbon may be very slight and are effected by means of a ratchet wheel 68 and a pawl 69 which are operated with each application of ink to the printing member. The ratchet wheel may be secured to the shaft 49 of the receiving roiler 52 so that when the ratchet is operated the said roller 52 will be rotated in a series of short intermittent movements as will be presently set forth.

The ribbon 57 carries a uniform quantity of ink to a predetermined position and if desirable the printing member 18 may be moved to make direct contact with the ribbon for the reception of the printing medium. It has been found, however, more desirable to provide an intermediate member member in contact with the surface 27 of the printing member to apply theink thereto. The roller 71 is mounted on a shaft 72, the ends of which are supported by movable rods 73. The rods are disposed in guides 74 and are provided with collars 75- which are secured thereto. Helical springs 76 disposed bet-ween the collars and portions of the guide normally maintain the rollers 71 in a given positionwith respect to the surface of the inked portion of the ribbon 57. The roller 71 is preferably made of soft elastic material such as rubber and as will be noted the normal posit-ion of the roller is such that the lower surface thereof is just below the upper surface of the ribbon 57 and the upper surface of the roller 71 is slightiy above the surface 27 of the inking member when said member is in position to receive the ink. When so arranged, the roller will make a firm resilient contact with the surface of the ribbon and with the printing member by reason of its inherent flexibility and the helical springs 76. Means are provided for re ciprocating the roller 71 upon the surface of the ribbon and over the. inking member which means may comprise a slide bar 77 to which the guides 74 are secured. The slice bar is movable in a guide piece 78 mounted on a post 79 which is secured to an arm 80 fastened to the reduced portion 46 of the standard 13. Depending from the arm 79 a bearing 81 in which a bell crank 82 may be pivoted. An arm 83 of the bell crank is connected by a chain 84-to a lever member 85 pivoted at 86 upon a flange 87 of the standard. An upper arm 88' of the bell crank is provided with a slot 89 to receive a pin 91 at one end of the slide bar 77. A movement of the slide bar 77 will obviously cause a movement of the roller 71 over the ribbon 57 and this movement may be effected by means of a cam member 92 secured to the shaft 37 and engageable with an end 93 of the lever 85. When the cam is rotated to .depress the lever 85, the bell crank member will be moved to position as shown in Fig. 2 and the roller 71 will be ready to traverse the surface of the inking member and the ribbon.

A spring 80 secured to a pin 81 on the guide piece 78 and to the arm 88 of the bell crank 82 actuates the same in one direction so that it is returned to a normal position after an operation of the cam 92. iVhen the slide bar is moved by the spring 80, the pawl 69 engages a tooth of the ratchet wheel 52 and the receiving roller is moved to wind up the ribbon and cause a new surface to be presented for the inking roller 71; It has been found that only a very slight movement of the ribbon 57 is necessary. The teeth of the ratchet wheel 68 may be relatively fine and the pawl may be properly positioned as to move the ratchet wheel a distance of only a few teeth as required,

The operations for producing a movement ofthe roller 71, as well as an actuation of the printing member 18 are caused by one complete rotation of the shaft 87, a movement of the inking roller across the face of the printing member being caused before the printing member begins to move away from its positionto receive ink. Forthe purpose of permitting a single r0- tation of the shaft 37, suitable means, such as the clutch ii, are provided. I This clutch comprises a notched member 94 secured to the shaft 39 which is continuously rotated, and the shaft 37 is provided with a latch member 95 having a locking pin 96 normally urged to engage with the notched member 9d by a spring 97. Normally, however, an arm 98 having a wedge shaped end 99 (see Fig. 3) holds the pin 96 from engagement with the notched member 9 i,-the arm being held inposition by spring 100. The arm 98 is pivoted at 101 (see Fig.1) and may have an endlOQ disposed in the path of movement of a oam'member 103 secured to the conveyor 11. .VVhen the conveyor is moved to bring the cam member into engagement with the arm 98, the wedge shaped end 99 of the arm is momentarily lifted to permit the pin 96 to engage with the notched member 94, thereby causing a rotation of the shaft 37 which rotation is terminated when the pin again engages with the end 99 of the arm 98. During a partial rotation of the shaft 37 a succession of movements of printing device are effected so that when another bulb is properly positioned, the printing member will be in position to print thereon, a continued movement of the shaft37 causes a return of the printing member to position to receive a new supply of ink. It will be understood, however, that if desirable the arm 98 may be actuated either by hand or by a' suitable foot pedal, it being only necessary to throw the clutch and permit a complete revolution of the shaft 37. When the printing member 17 moves through its arcuate path and is ready 'to descend for making the impression upon the bulb, a guide member 106 on the printing member 17 enters a slot 107 in a guide piece 108 (see Fig. 1) to insure a direct downward movement of the stamp. The guide piece 108 may be provided with a hub 109 suitably secured to the reduced portion 16 of the standard 13.

For the purpose of assuring a firmim pression of stamp, a weight 10 1 is provided and disposed to rest on the hub of the printing cam 17.

If desirable the ribbon 57 may be in the form of an endless belt and may travel through the same path asthe ribbon shown in the present construction.

By reason ofthe present invention it is possible to provide an ink feeding mechanism which will give a constant and uniform distribution of ink over a predetermined area. This is of particular advantage in the lamp making art and in practice it has been found that a ribbon of great length may be employed and may be fed from a spoolvery slowly so that many thousands of lamps may be made before it is necessary to rewind or replace the spool, in fact it has been found that in comparison with the difiiculties e2;- perienced in obtaining the proper uniform application of ink from the stamp in other devices, the present construction offers a considerable saving in time and a reduction in the loss of material through poor printing operations as has heretofore occurred.

Although a perfect embodiment of the invention is shown heretofore, it is understood that modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Nhatisclaimed is:

1. An 'ink. feeding v device comprising a container for ink, an ink feeding member, means for moving said ink feeding member into and out from said container, and an inking member, means for moving said inkingmember over a portion of the length of said ink feeding member to receive ink from said ink feeding member for application to a printing member.

2. An ink. feeding device comprising a container having ink therein, a flexible ink feeding member, means for moving said member into and out from said container, and an inking member movable over and in contact with saidink feeding member to receive ink for application to a printing memher. 7 i 1 3. An ink feeding device comprising a container having ink therein, an ink feeding ribbon, means for causing a movement of said ribbon into and out from said container, an inking roller operable for move ment over the inked portion of said ribbon to receive ink for application to a printing member.

4, A printing device comprising a container having inkthereim an ink feeding ribbon, means for moving said ribbon into and out from said container, a printing member, and an inking member movable over said ribbon, and means for moving said inking member to transfer ink from said ribbon tosaid printing member.

, 5. A printing device comprising a container having ink therein, an ink feeding ribbon, means for moving said ribbon into and out from said container, a support for a portion of said ribbon moved from said container, an inking roller movable over the supported portion of said ribbon, and a printing member positioned to receive ink from said inking member.

6. An ink feeding device comprising a container for ink, an ink feeding member, means for moving said ink feeding member into and out from the ink in said container, a support for a portion of said ink feeding member, means for removing excess ink from said ink feeding member, an inking mem ber and means for moving said inking member over th supported portion of said ink feeding member for receiving ink from said ink feeding member for application to printing member.

7. An ink feeding device comprising a container having ink therein, a flexible ink feeding member, means for supporting a portion of said ink feeding member, means for moving said member into and out from said container, means for removing excess ink from said ink feeding member, and an inking member movable to make contact with the supported inked portion of said ink feeding member to receive ink for application to a printing member.

8.. An ink feeding device comprising a container having ink therein, an ink feed ribbon, means for supporting a portion of said ribbon, means for causing a movement of said ribbon into and out from ink in said container, pressure members for engaging said ribbon and removing excess ink therefrom, an ink roller operable for movement over the supported portion of said ribbon to receive ink for application of a printing member.

9. A printing device comprising a container having ink therein, an ink feeding ribbon, means for supporting a portion of said ribbon, means for moving said ribbon into and out from the ink in said container, pressure members for engaging said ribbon to remove excess ink therefrom, a printing member and an inking member movable over the supported portion of said ribbon for the transfer of ink from said ribbon to said printing member.

10. A printing device comprising a container having ink therein, an ink feeding ribbon, means for moving said ribbon into and out from the ink in said container, pressure members engageable with said ribbon in movement through the ink, a support for an inked portion of said ribbon, an inking member, means for moving inking member over the supported portion of said ribbon and a printing member positioned to receive ink from said inking member.

11. A printing device comprising a support for an object to be printed, a printing member, an inking device comprising a con-' tainer for ink, an ink feeding ribbon, means for supporting a portion of said ribbon, means for moving said ribbon into and out from said container, means for transferring ink from the supported portion of said ribbon to said printing member, and means for actuating said printing member to print upon an object in said support.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this th day of March, 1926.

MARK N. FREDENBURGH. 

